Diablo 4's General Manager Disdains "Ready When Ready" Phrase

Blizzard Entertainment has long been renowned for its stance of not setting release dates for games. In the early 2000s, when asked about upcoming titles like World of Warcraft, the Blizzard staff would consistently reply with "It’ll be ready when it’s ready." This philosophy emphasized the importance of quality over time. Legend has it that this mantra dates back to the first Diablo, which was supposed to be released for Christmas 1996 but came out in January 1997 due to a last-minute delay. Despite missing the holiday sales window, Diablo was acclaimed and sold well, proving the old game industry maxim that a delayed game is eventually good, but a bad game is bad forever.

Rod Fergusson's Disagreement

Rod Fergusson, the general manager of the Diablo franchise and a senior leader at Blizzard, has a different perspective. During a recent video interview, when asked about the 15-month gap between the release of the base Diablo 4 and the Vessel of Hatred expansion, he expressed his dislike for the "it’ll be ready when it’s ready" phrase. He recalled that when he first joined Blizzard and saw a slide with this phrase, he immediately demanded its removal. Fergusson believes in the power of schedules and deadlines and objects to the passive "ready when it’s ready" thinking on a philosophical level.He explained, "It takes the agency away from the team. Saying 'it’s ready when it’s ready' means the team doesn't have control over what they're building. You control the scope, the schedule, and a bunch of things. The idea that the game has to reveal itself with an unknown amount of content... It's frustrating." Fergusson prefers a more proactive approach, comparing it to growing a flower. He said, "I like to be like, 'Hey, we’re going to grow a flower that’s going to bloom at about this time, and we’re going to make sure that happens because we’re going to do all the right things to make sure it happens.' He emphasized that quality remains his top concern and that the team controls the time and quantity.Fergusson's reputation as a closer precedes his time at Blizzard. Before joining in 2020, he was known for saving troubled productions at Epic Games and Irrational Games. His love for Diablo brought him to Blizzard, where he used to set up three TVs in his house to play with his kids every Christmas. He shared an anecdote about his youngest child, who would spend an hour looking at vendors while they waited to play together.Despite his strong beliefs, Fergusson still didn't disclose when the next Diablo 4 expansion will be out. He believes in controlling the process and ensuring quality but leaves the specific timing up to the team's efforts.